BWW Blog: SCANDALOUS' Elizabeth Ward Land - The New Normal Part 3

What a fun weekend we had at SCANDALOUS! So many friends and family passed thru the doors of the Neil Simon. It was the start of the whole lead up to our opening night, November 15.

The press started attending performances on Saturday, so there was also a lot of "paper," which just really means comp tickets for friends to help get a positive vibe going, as well as filling the seats. I was so proud of our cast - no one seemed to buckle under the pressure, delivering clean, accurate, heartfelt performances.

We unfortunately had one BIG technical glitch on Saturday night. Some lighting instrument that was positioned in the house blew up and its fan starting whirling with a sound as loud as a Jack Hammer. It was right at the moment in the show where Aimee (Carolee Carmello) begins her traveling ministry in Baltimore, standing on a stool in the middle of the town square. The ensemble was all around her, trying desperately to hear the orchestra over the deafening sound that was coming from the audience. We kept looking for some sign that it was going to stop, or that we were going to stop, and they finally made the call to stop the show and fix it. It was so unfortunate, but really impossible to continue without it being fixed. The audience was so supportive - I am sure they were relieved not to hear the horrible noise!

Oh, and did I mention that we had a Nor'easter on Wednesday to add insult to our Hurricane Sandy ravaged community? I know I keep harping on the weather and all its effects on us, but these past few weeks have really been unusually terrible for the East Coast. It was snowing SIDEWAYS with 50 mmph winds much of the day on Wednesday, and we got about 6-8 inches of snow in New Jersey.

On the positive side, rumors abound that some New Jersey Transit Midtown Direct trains may begin to operate a bit over the next couple weeks, easing my hellish commute; Obama was re-elected, and the gas lines have begun to ease.

My plans for my day off? Clean my house, run some errands, and try to find SOMETHING to wear for opening night......

My Maplewood, New Jersey backyard on Thursday morning

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Broadway/Off-Broadway: SCANDALOUS, MEMPHIS, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (original cast, all three versions), PASSION, CITY OF ANGELS, featured soloist in THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER starring Michael Crawford, THE GREEN HEART, HELLO AGAIN, CHESS. National Tours: THE PRISONER OF SECOND AVENUE opposite Hector Elizondo, CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL, LES MISERABLES, and SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. Regionally, Liz has starred all over the country, most recently as Lela Rogers in BACKWARDS IN HIGH HEELS (Asolo Rep); Mother Superior in SISTER ACT (Pasadena Playhouse, Alliance); THE KING AND I, THE THING ABOUT MEN, KISS ME, KATE (Musical Theatre West); THE WILL ROGERS FOLLIES (Sacramento Music Circus, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma); BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS (Coconut Grove Playhouse); The Evil Queen (Disneyland); ROMEO AND JULIET (Goodspeed); and as Connee Boswell in THE BOSWELL SISTERS (The Old Globe). TVand Film: YOUNG ADULT (with Charlize Theron), ONE LIFE TO LIVE, CRUMBS, THE AMANDA SHOW, 10-8, ALL MY CHILDREN. She was honored to be chosen as Barbra Streisand’s Stand-In for her 2006 Tour. Liz’s acclaimed debut CD, FIRST HARVEST is available on ITUNES and at LMLMusic.com.